• 1 – 9 Liter 2005 Château Haut-Brion
• 1 – 9 Liter 2005 Château La Mission Haut-Brion

The year was 1787 and a young American had just finished tasting his way through the greatest estates in Bordeaux. After tasting Haut-Brion, the exultant envoy sang the wine's praises to the American consul, calling it a "wine of the first rank" and concluding that it pleased his palate more than any others he had tasted. The young envoy was Thomas Jefferson and thanks to his influence, Château Haut-Brion was served at the White House during his presidency, as well as those of Washington, Madison and Monroe.

Over 300 years later, Château Haut-Brion remains as good as it gets, except perhaps when it comes to its first cousin, La Mission Haut-Brion. Unlike other top Bordeaux, they both hail from Graves and the prestigious sub-appellation of Pessac-Léognan. The viticultural heritage for the region was formed during the last Ice Age, when advancing glaciers along the bank of the Garonne scraped the earth bare. This gravelly legacy has been the foundation for both Bordeaux's finest dry white wines as well as its most powerful and angelic reds.

In a great vintage, Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion can be unparalleled and the 2005 may be as good as it gets. Already hailed as the benchmark vintage for the new century, it is universally acclaimed as one of Bordeaux's greatest since the legendary 1961. Jean-Philippe Delmas, director at both Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion, was astounded by the fruit quality, boldly stating that "we have never seen such grapes in such perfect condition." Besides the vintage's dry weather, credit is due to the remarkable temperature difference between the warmth of its days – allowing full ripeness – and its cool nights that preserved the grapes' structure and acidity.

Such a viticultural bounty in the hands of Delmas yielded astounding triumphs; an incredible 100-point review from both Wine Spectator and Robert Parker, Jr. for Haut-Brion and a dazzling 97-point score for La Mission. Each of those magnificent wines is presented here in mammoth 9 liter Salmanazars. La Mission Haut-Brion is a polished wine; both enticing and inspiring. Enormously endowed, it is a wine that should age effortlessly for three to four decades. The "perfect" Haut-Brion is both pure and complex, with seamless tannins that caress every inch of the palate. Each bottle is one of only 15 bottles of this size produced by Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion.

Is this as good as it gets? If so, then things are pretty good, indeed.

Donor: HRH Prince Robert of Luxembourg of Domaine Clarence Dillon and Château Haut-Brion